Do Sales Professionals Hide Behind Designations

I shared my upcoming post 13 Sales KPIs every sales leader should follow to one of the editors in our marketing team.

I am not a professional writer so I usually get anxious whenever I share the first draft of my article with anyone. (Actually, I am scared of Grammar nazis and let me tell you they are everywhere. Most times they don’t reveal themselves but I know they secretly mock you and correct your grammar.)

The moment I did so, I got a ping from the editor.

“Kavish, would you mind if I replace salesmen with sales professionals?”

I replied, “Okay, do that.”

But that left me thinking. So I messaged him back, “Is that wrong?”

He replied, “Not wrong really, but sort of offensive.”

What! Is it even a thing?

My initial outburst was intended to give him a good lecture on salesmanship-how hard a salesman works, connecting every dot between the product and its requirement to keep the business up and running.

The next moment, I got hold of myself and asked, “why do you think so?”

He replied, “just that, felt like no one wants to be called a salesman.”

So he had the problem with the word. Why?

A doctor no matter how senior or what their specialization is wouldn’t mind being called a doctor, a writer won’t mind being called a writer, a cricketer identifies themselves as a cricketer. What is wrong with the salesman?

Is it true that that a salesman hides behind designations-Manager, VP, Head, or Director?

Maybe because when we utter a word, we create an image of that word in our mind. So what image does a salesman create in your mind?

The one untimely knocking at your doors?

If your mind still creates that image, it is the time to replace that image with the one who helps you achieve your goals.

Sales Have Changed

The way we sell has completely changed. Actually, the market is more of a reflection of what society consumes and selling is simply how they consume. Here the “how” is subject to change depending on the circumstances and availability.

But what is being put into selling by the salesman (the art) is never going to change. The trust and persuasion and the regular follow-ups required to build long-term relations and drive customer loyalty will always remain the same.

This art has always been nurtured by the salesmen. They are wordsmiths, great orators, observant, and intelligent. Using these qualities, they create a vision for you, in which you are making your life better by using their product.

Once they were outsiders knocking your doors, today they have assimilated into your social life, your culture. With the help of digital tools, they have gained omnipresence.

Today, everyone in the company is a salesman. Anyone, from the product development team to the administrative staff, who is contributing to resolving the customer’s problem at any length in a process is a salesman because the ultimate goal of the company is to sell the product.

Preserving the Art of Selling

So if you are in sales and someone calls you a salesman and if it offends you then you need to reconsider your choice of profession.

As a professional in sales, you have the responsibility to preserve this age-old art of selling. You are the caretaker of the art of persuasion. It is you who collect the fuel for the company. No one knows better than you to run the show of revenue.

Digital technology has empowered every salesperson to record their work, analyze and review their performance, figure out what is wrong in the process, add context to the information and improve their learning to become the greatest salesperson of the era.

Take pride in being a part of a business community that has existed, survived, and thrived so long.

PS: This time I haven’t shared it with any editor. So if you find any awkward sentences or an error, please pass on.

Originally published at http://kavishgakhar.wordpress.com on August 26, 2020.